The ICC hearing on the confirmation of charges against Abdallah Banda and Saleh Jerbo is scheduled to be held on 8 December, in the absence of the suspects

Situation: Darfur, Sudan 

Case: The Prosecutor v. Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus

On 8 December, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is scheduled to hold a hearing on the confirmation of charges in the case of The Prosecutor v. Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus in an open session, at 14:30.

The hearing will be held in the absence of the suspects Mr Jerbo and Mr Banda who, on 4 and 15 November, respectively, waived their rights to be present at the confirmation hearing, in accordance with article 61 of the Rome Statute, the treaty founding the ICC.

On 17 June, the suspects appeared voluntarily before the Court in compliance with the summonses to appear issued by the Chamber. They are allegedly responsible for three war crimes: violence to life, in the form of murder, whether committed or attempted; intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, materials, units, and vehicles involved in a peacekeeping mission; and pillaging. These war crimes were allegedly committed during an attack carried out on 29 September 2007, against the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), a peacekeeping mission stationed at the Haskanita Military Group Site, in the locality of Umm Kadada, North Darfur. It is alleged that the attackers killed 12 and severely wounded 8 soldiers, destroyed communications facilities and other materials and appropriated property belonging to the AMIS.

The confirmation of charges hearing is a public hearing during which the Pre‐Trial Chamber will decide whether or not to confirm all or any of the charges brought against the suspects by the Prosecutor. Within a maximum of 60 days after the confirmation of charges proceedings are closed, Pre-Trial Chamber I will determine whether or not there is sufficient evidence to establish substantial grounds to believe that Mr Banda and Mr Jerbo committed the alleged crimes. If the Chamber determines that there is sufficient evidence in this regard, the case will go to the trial phase.

Further information and audiovisual material regarding the hearing is available here.

For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Associate Legal Outreach Officer, on +31 (0)70 515-9152 or at [email protected]

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